Leicester City racing to sign “interesting” £16m+ defender ahead of Spurs

Looking to welcome an instant boost in pursuit of Premier League survival, Leicester City are now reportedly racing to sign a defender worth as much as £16.5m ahead of Tottenham Hotspur this month.

Leicester transfer news

It’s no real surprise that the Foxes are seemingly on the hunt for defensive reinforcements. After all, they’ve conceded the most goals in the Premier League so far this season, shipping as many as 42 in just 19 games. Just two points adrift of safety nonetheless, the fight is still on for a Leicester side who did Ruud van Nistelrooy proud despite eventual defeat against out-of-form champions Manchester City last time out.

Now that the January transfer window now underway, the Foxes have already been linked to potential solutions for their leaky defence with the likes of Chancel Mbemba among the names mentioned.

The Porto defender could yet be offered a route back into the Premier League for the first time since his Newcastle United days and could also be joined by another defensive addition at The King Power Stadium.

According to Football Insider, Leicester are now racing to sign Thomas Kristensen ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Bayer Leverkusen in a deal that could cost a hefty £16.5m this month. Despite driving a hard bargain, Udinese could be tempted into bidding farewell to their 6ft 5 centre-back if any interested party meet their current valuation.

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At just 22 years old, that £16m+ fee could quickly turn into a bargain deal if Kristensen played his part in Leicester’s survival but it remains to be seen whether they’ll be financially capable of reaching that price tag in the January transfer window. Amid competition from both Spurs and Leverkusen too, they’ll have to put together quite the sales pitch.

“Interesting” Kristensen is one to watch

At 6ft 5 and just 22 years old, Kristensen is certainly the type of player that Leicester should be targeting to solve their defensive issues. The major obstacle likely remains just how much they’ll have to spend to secure his signature, but £16m+ may well be the price of their Premier League place which should hand them an easy decision to make this month.

Kristensen’s rise is one that Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig saw coming even before his Udinese days, describing the defender as “interesting youngster” during his Aarhus GF days in Denmark.

Now playing an important part at Udinese, starting four Serie A games in a row before illness interrupted what has been a season full of frustrating absences, Kristensen could yet make the biggest move of his career to date at the halfway mark of the current campaign.